AbstractIn lesson 1 the class ended with the
promise that two leading questions, 1) Why did this
(epidemics) happen at this time in history? and 2)
How did this (epidemics) happen? would be addressed
in the lesson entitled “Reasons Diseases become
Epidemic! In this lesson students will explore additional
questions to add to these two in order to better investigate
the time periods mentioned: the 14th century, America
at contact, and the Age of Industry.

Activity (Note-taking
using a web)
1. Setting the stage. On the board write down the two
leading questions from the previous day that the lesson
ended with: 1) Why did this (epidemics) happen at this
time in history? and 2) How did this (epidemics) happen?

2.
During this exercise students will take notes within
a web, (see Overhead 1), Reasons Diseases become Epidemic!
(Have students take notes to further explore how to
study
diseases becoming epidemic. The two questions triggered
by lesson 1 are not sufficient to prepare them to address
how to investigate disease in history so additional
questions and their possible answers must be addressed.)
Display
Overhead 1 and have students create the web on their
note sheets. You will help to fill it out. They must
write down notes as they are developed.

3.
Explain that the web shows a different set of Why? and
How? questions
but now introduces Where? When?
and Who?

4.
Ask students Why do diseases become epidemic? Diseases
happen for a number of reasons but they
are mostly
caused as a result of a.) Human/animal contact
and b.) Poor
human hygiene habits.

5.
Ask students How do diseases become Epidemic? Epidemics
occur because the disease
finds enough
hosts to contaminate
and invade. Epidemics are facilitated through
human movement and travel. Ask students what would be
reasons for humans
to move? (Answers: Trade, wars, & city industry.)

6.
Ask students Where do diseases become epidemic?
This occurs where people congregate or where
people and animals
congregate. Ask students: Where do people come
closely together? (Answers: In cities, during
warfare, and
through trade along trade routes.)

7.
By now students should start seeing some patterns in
what dominant
factors help diseases
spread.
The following question should address examples
of: When
do diseases
become epidemic? Ask students to share their
ideas here. Answers should include: bad hygiene
habits,
poor sewage
systems, ignorance of treatment, and new
human contacts.

8.
Finally, address: Who do epidemic diseases target? Pose
the question: Do diseases affect
mostly the
poor, the rich, or both equally? Maybe
the distribution of
disease is based on age or gender? Write
down student ideas to what they would choose
and
why.
Possible answers would be:

a.
the poor because they can’t
afford luxuries that help hygiene,
b. the poor because they live in areas
with poor sewage systems or without running
water,
c. the poor because they can’t afford medicines,
d. or both because diseases don’t care who they
affect so long as they have a body to live in.
e. children because they aren’t fully grown.
f. The aged because they are weaker.

Closure
The student webs should be filled out. End by noting that
all of these questions will help them answer the two
major questions: 1) Why did this (epidemics) happen
at this time in history? and 2) How did this (epidemics)
happen? The questions have not been forgotten but in
order to fully comprehend what epidemic diseases are,
a little ancient history needs to be explored.

Embedded
AssessmentStudents
can be broadly assessed as to their understanding of
the: who, why, where, when and how of epidemics from
a social perspective as they respond within a class discussion
and on a web chart.

PULSE
is a project of the Community Outreach and Education
Program of the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences
Center and is funded by: